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Click to PurchaseLearning a language isn't an easy task, even if you're the type who's more linguistically inclined. However, when one is learning a rare language such as Chamorro, the indigenous language of the Mariana Islands, using it in everyday conversation can be extremely intimidating.In "Everyday Chamorro: Chamorro Language Phrases for Beginners," you'll find a variety of tips, common phrases, and cultural tidbits that will help you on your way to achieving your language goals.Whether you're learning Chamorro because it's part of your heritage, for pure polyglot curiosity, or just to…

Chuuk continues to assess damageSUPER Typhoon Maysak ripped through Yap yesterday, gathering strength after it devastated the islands of Chuuk and by 4 p.m. yesterday, forecasters estimated Maysak had sustained winds of up to 160 mph.

The Tiyan High School Class of 2015 Race to Graduation 5K Run/Walk will take place this Saturday at the schools' campus. Show time for the run will be at 5:15 am with go time set for 6:00 am. The race fee is $10.00 per runner if you sign up before the 27th.

Chuuk continues to assess damageSUPER Typhoon Maysak ripped through Yap yesterday, gathering strength after it devastated the islands of Chuuk and by 4 p.m. yesterday, forecasters estimated Maysak had sustained winds of up to 160 mph.

Oliver named official Guam-D.C. liaisonPRESIDENT Barack Obama yesterday signed an executive order, declaring Guam the 51st state of the United States, allowing its residents to elect two U.S. senators, one member of the House of Representatives and to participate in the presidential elections.

By Leo Babauta The Great White Whale when it comes to forming new habits, for most people, is exercise. Along with eating your vegetables, meditation, getting good sleep and quitting smoking, exercise is probably the most important habit change anyone can make. And yet, most people struggle with creating a lasting exercise habit. The solution is to replace the “exercise” habit with play. Remember what it was like to go outside as a child? I do, because I watch my kids every day. They run around, pretending they’re warriors and wizards, ride their bikes like they’re…

By Leo Babauta I think most of us have a tendency to do as much as we possibly can. But doing less might be better. When we go to a great restaurant, we want to try all the dishes, eat as much of the delicious food as we can. And we leave overstuffed, sometimes painfully so, and our waistlines expand. When I go for a run, often I’ll want to run as far or as hard as I can … and then I’m exhausted, and less likely to want to run tomorrow. When we go on a trip to a new country, we want to see everything, do as much as possible, and that leaves us exhausted. When we work or read…

By Leo Babauta There are two extremely common obstacles that get in the way of people succeeding at habit change: Messing up on the habit and then quitting. Not starting because the habit change seems to hard or daunting. Have you faced these problems? The answer is almost certainly yes, because pretty much all of us have. The answer to both of these problems is really the same: do the habit. Keep doing it. Keep trying until you figure it out. The problem is that people feel discouraged by failure, or feel overwhelmed or intimidated. The solution is to embrace the “Fail Faster”…

By Leo Babauta Have you ever made a bucket list? For me, they’re incredibly seductive — I love reading other people’s bucket lists, and making my own. But here’s what happens when you make a bucket list: You put this huge burden on yourself to get the list accomplished. As if we don’t already have enough on our to-do lists already! If you don’t do well at pursuing the things on the list, you feel guilty or underaccomplished. If you do well at pursuing the list, you are probably pursuing less-than-meaningful activities. They’re usually just there because…

By Leo Babauta What do you do if your life is a mess, you have no discipline or routines, can’t stick to anything, procrastinate, and feel out of control? How do you get started with the discipline habit when you have so much to change? You start by washing your dishes. It’s just one small step: when you eat your cereal, wash your bowl and spoon. When you finish drinking coffee or tea, wash your cup. Don’t leave dishes in the sink or counter or table. Mindfully wash your dish, right away. Form this habit one dish at a time, one day at a time. Once you do this for a few…

Illustrated by Raph Unpingco In anthropology, a shaman is an individual who is a part-time specialist involved in healing. A sorcerer is an individual who communicates with the supernatural in the belief that spirits can act on their behalf for the purpose of good or evil. Although these terms, in addition to “medicine men” and “herbalists” are sometimes used interchangeably, Chamorros did distinguish between their healers, known as makåna, and their sorcerers, or kakåhna, who manipulated spirits to do evil. Learn more>>>

Photo from the Micronesian Archaeological Research Services(MARS) According to early historic accounts, rice (Oryza sativa) was produced in large quantities, and was used as a commodity for trade between islands and later, with the Europeans to obtain metal. Rice, however, is significant archeologically because the Chamorros of the Marianas were the only Pacific Island people who cultivated rice in the tropics dating back to ancient times. Learn more>>>

Illustrated by Jose “Malet” Garrido. Agualin (also referred to in historic documents as “Aguarin”) was a Chamorro chief who led several revolts against the Spanish. He was from Hagåtña, but traveled from village to village to inspire other Chamorros to fight Spanish colonialism and Catholicism. Learn more>>>

The term ålas (derived from the Spanish term alhajas, which means jewelry) refers to turtle shell valuables used within the highly reciprocal associations of the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands. Women, most especially, wore turtle shell as body ornamentation. Learn more>>>

Click to PurchaseLearning a language isn't an easy task, even if you're the type who's more linguistically inclined. However, when one is learning a rare language such as Chamorro, the indigenous language of the Mariana Islands, using it in everyday conversation can be extremely intimidating.In "Everyday Chamorro: Chamorro Language Phrases for Beginners," you'll find a variety of tips, common phrases, and cultural tidbits that will help you on your way to achieving your language goals.Whether you're learning Chamorro because it's part of your heritage, for pure polyglot curiosity, or just to…

Part of learning Chamorro is not only understanding it in the colloquial sense, but also when it's used in official documents. The following is an excerpt from an official Government of Guam document written back in September 8, 1978. The document is linked below where you can see inconsistencies and why it was, and still is, so important to maintain language consistency. The following written portion is written with corrections so you can see the difference in use, spelling, and punctuation.Gubetnun Guahan Ufisinan Maga'lahi Hagatña, GuahanGovernment of Guam, Office of the…

Chamorro writers, as reflected in the current diaspora, are not just confined to the Mariana Islands. Across the globe, we're seeing a surge in Chamorro creative writing, blogging, and poetry. In effort to string together this group of Chamorro writers, we're looking to consolidate this information and spread the word on Chamorro literature to raise awareness on these linguistic, cultural, and creative endeavors.Below, is a list of notable Chamorro authors, bloggers, and poets to consider in your search for building up your Chamorro book collection. Corresponding websites…

Apparently there is a Chuukese optometrist living in the Phoenix area. I'll have to keep my eyes open for her. Nathan Fitch does a good job of helping this woman tell her story.I occasionally come across Chamorros (indigenous people of Guam) in Phoenix. And a few years ago I met several Chuukese here but none recently. I think they must be avoiding me. ;) The Chuukese are a diverse group of islanders from Chuuk, one of four states in the Federated States of Micronesia. Other than Guam, I've spent more time in Chuuk (Weno and Faichuuk) than any other Pacific Island region. Most of my…

Root Beer, my cargo bike, needed a new chain and rear cassette so I brought him into the Garage Bike Shop yesterday afternoon. I picked him up this morning and now he is running as good as new -- and at such a low price that I tipped the owner/mechanic $10 because I felt that it was so unfair. I probably should have been even more generous. Next time.I came across this shop a month ago when I was cutting through the small Yaqui Indian town of Guadalupe and decided to stop in. I really enjoyed the owner and the characters I met in there so I decided to read the online reviews. They were…

Usually speakers who emit such energy shut me down. I crawl into my shell and protect my head. But, in spite of all that, I always feel refreshed and challenged when I listen to Greg Boyd. He is insightful.via

I've got my PIU church planting students watching this video presentation. They're also reading Mark Lau Branson and Nick Warnes' book Starting Missional Churches (IVP, 2014). This is a healthy recalibration for the church planting movement.

The Guam Pacific Daily News just posted another update on the typhoon a few minutes ago. Here is the main point… A typhoon warning is now in effect for the islands of Yap, according to an alert from the U.S. National Weather Service. Tyhoon Mayasak is currently a strong category 4 typhoon and is forecast to intensify further. Mayasak could become a category 5 storm with sustained winds of up to 155 mph during the next 12 hours. Please pray for Fais and Ulithi as the storm will reach them shortly and for Yap as they expect the typhoon force winds later tonight.

Just before the end of 2014 we had a solar power system installed at our house by Pacific Solar Photovoltaics. As we get older we see the need to lower our expenses in order to be able to continue ministering at PIU and to the island of Guam. Lowering utility expenses is one good way to do that. We saw that as kind of a “retirement investment” that would begin to pay off right away. We were able to afford the system by doing a refinancing on our house. It has already begun to pay dividends for us as, with a house full of people in December/January, our first power bill was $95 and…

Please be in prayer this week for the many islands of Chuuk and Yap. Typhoon Maysak hit Chuuk yesterday afternoon and is projected to hit Yap within the next couple days. According to the local Guam newspaper, the Pacific Daily News, damage on Chuuk from the 75+ mph winds was pretty extensive and “many people in Chuuk hadn’t seen or experienced this kind of disaster in their lifetimes.” You can see pictures of this and read the PDN article here. Many of our PIU grads live and work in Chuuk and we would ask you to join us in prayer for them. As I find out more about the damage I will let…

I am back on campus now after a month of travel, so I thought I should post about what is going on at PIU again. Friday was the residents of our women’s dorm were in charge of chapel led by their Resident Assistants. The RA’s help the Student Life staff make sure the dorm is well-managed, clean, and that everyone in the dorm has someone watching out for their well-being. They also help lead dorm Bible studies and organize activities. All of the ladies in the dorm are assigned to a small group under one of the RA’s. For this chapel, they presented some songs, skits and videos they made…

I ended my recent trip by traveling further East to Hawaii before I headed back to Guam on Tuesday/Wednesday. This gave me an opportunity to meet with my friends, and PIU partners, at New Hope Christian College. They are moving forward and making some changes, much as we are at PIU. One of the big changes for them is a name change to Pacific Rim University. It was good to have some time to meet with their administration and discuss how we can have PIU approach the needs of the region from the west and PRU from the East. Here are a few of the views from my time in Hawaii. I enjoyed a dinner…

The question Indiana's Governor Pence, can't or won't, answerby Steve Benen MSNBC3/30/15 If Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) was looking for a way to raise his national visibility in advance of a possible presidential candidate, his new right-to-discriminate law, if nothing else, has given him the national spotlight.Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on Sunday defended his decision to sign a religious freedom bill into law, saying that it was “absolutely not” a mistake. In an interview on ABC’s “This Week” the Republican governor repeatedly dodged questions on whether the law would…

National Endowment for the ArtsFor Immediate ReleaseMarch 23, 2015It is with great sadness that the National Endowment for the Arts acknowledges the passing of 1996 National Heritage Fellow Joaquin Flores Lujan, a blacksmith who helped to preserve Guam's blacksmithing past, an aspect of the island's Chamorro culture that combines Spanish colonial and local influences.Joaquin "Jack" Flores Lujan was born March 20, 1920, in Guam. He was the only child to learn the art of blacksmithing from his father, who in turn had learned the skills from his uncle. He mastered the graceful lines…

Sherlock Season 4, "Frightening, tough, emotional upheaval"James Hibberd Posted March 27 2015 — 1:18 PM EDTEntertainment Weekly Interviewing ultra-secretive Steven Moffat about Sherlock is a tricky endeavor, given that the writer-producer would prefer to say nothing at all about what will happen in the show’s hugely anticipated fourth season. But during our wide-ranging recent interview, the Sherlock co-creator gave us a few hints about what to expect when the BBC/PBS Masterpiece fan-favorite series returns. Plus, he addressed the long…

A sobering article about the situation in the Marshall Islands, where rising tides and damage from nuclear testing is threatening to force people out of the Pacific and seek new homes elsewhere. Climate change is, as President Obama regularly notes, the number issue facing the world today. It is however the number one issue that people are content to do close to nothing about. For people in the Pacific, this importance is even more pronounced due to the fact that people in low and high islands are already being affected and will soon have their lives irrevocably affected. People in low…